Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-03-26
Flight with "a Catam0uHt.

The Hon. Luke j. Holland of Water
Vile. although 10 years old, is yet hale
and hearty, and can relate al ancc6ute
in rs good style a. ever. The follow
ing, related by himself, was n youthful
experience Of his. aud is worthy Of
! perusal: "Whon | was "a boy said
| the Judge the other morning. ''thc
woods in Vermont were mighty thick
and the settlers were few. At chat
| time the woods were full of catamounts
or Observation-Disclosures the hunt
| crs called thcm-and the farmers had
great to-do To keep the fierce beasts
from carrying of their sheep and kill
ing their cattle. a loup-ceryier is
pretty nearly as big as u mastiff, as
lion, and is, altogether. about n, un-
comfortable Il creature 10 deal with as
ever lived. Ny father had with him
on his farm then a man named Jonas
Shepherd, n fellow Of prodigious
strength, and such great courage that
| do not believe he ever knew the sen
sation of fear. My father had not lost
much by the loup-ccrviers, because he
had kept his stock securely incloscd in
a strong Sized. which none Of the prowi-
ing beasts had yet succeeded in break
ing into. The house stood on the edge
Of II clearing, and back of il for miles
and miles there was nothing but the
mountains and woods. one night the
family had all gone 10 bed except
Shepherd, who sat up by the big pine
fire Smelling orr with Il iack-knife in
a loo Of wood. All of IL sudden he
heard n crash from the cattlc-shed and
a big noise among the cattle. He dash
ed out in his shirt-sleeycs and fourd
that an enormous loup-ccrvier, the big
gist Of his kind ever seen in the coun-
try, had broken in the roof of the shed
and was in among the sheep.
'As soon rs it heard Shepherd APP
preaching it jumped to tho roof of the
shed. and, crouching for n moment,
sprang through the air for the intrud-
er. Shepherd jumped aside; and the
big cat landed harmlcsly on the ground.
In an instant it was up again. and u
furious battle between the man and the
savage brute began. Shepherd had y
knife, and for n while hetried to make
it reach a vital spot, while the loo
screamed and bit and tore its trcmcn-
dous claws through the mans flesh.
The noise Of the fight awakened tho
rest of the family, and father. grabbing
up a pine torch, was just in time to see
a curionS spectacle. Shepherd, with
out a stitch of clothing on. covered
from head TO foot with blood. was
holding the screaming, struggling loo
by the throat and heels high above his
head, and running MS fast as he could
toward the woods. We all dashed after
him, and were Just in time 10 see the
end Of the contest. Shepherd ran into
the brook until he was in TO his waist,
and then plunged the fcrocious beast
in out of sight. There was 4 trcmcnd-
Gus struggle for a few minutes, during
which Shepherds blood dyed the brook
red, and then everything was still.
Then Shepherd came out, dragging the
drowned body of the loo after him.
We got him TO bed rs soou rs we could.
and did everything possible TO relieve
him, but it was more than three
months before he was able to stir. and
he never quite recovered. My father
said he counted more than POO distinct
wounds on bis body. Old hunters said
that if he had not had sense enough to
drown the brute, he would have been
killed sure. The fight took place
where one of the finest houses of wor-
snip in New England stands to-day
NntNehOr0u1h III. Phnnir.